With whopping 3.69 lakh, J&K has 2nd highest number of gun licenses in India

Uttar Pradesh tops the list of states with active gun licences with a whopping 12.77 lakh people authorised to carry weapons, followed by militancy-hit Jammu and Kashmir where 3.69 lakh people possess arms licences.

According to the statistics released by the home ministry, the country has a total of 33,69,444 active gun licences.

The highest number of gun licences were given in Uttar Pradesh where 12,77,914 people are authorised to carry weapons, most of which were taken in the name of personal security. As per the 2011 census, the population of Uttar Pradesh is 19,98,12,341.

Jammu and Kashmir, hit by three decades of militancy, has 3,69,191 licenced gun holders, including those of prohibited bore and non-prohibited bore arms. The total population of the state as per 2011 census is 1,25,41,302, the ministry said.

Punjab, which witnessed terrorism in 1980s and 1990s, has 3,59,349 active gun licences, most of which were issued during the two decades wherein militancy had engulfed the state.

Punjab has a population of 2,77,43,338 as per the 2011 census.

There are 2,47,130 active gun licences in Madhya Pradesh, followed by Haryana where 1,41,926 people are authorised to carry licenced weapons, it said.

The other states with large number of licenced gun holders include Rajasthan (1,33,968 licences), Karnataka (1,13,631), Maharashtra (84,050), Bihar (82,585), Himachal Pradesh (77,069), Uttarakhand (64,770), Gujarat (60,784) and West Bengal (60,525).